Fantasy books with gay characters

Once & Future by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy

In this queer-affirming galactic future, the 42nd reincarnation of King Arthur is a pansexual brown girl named Ari. After the capitalistic Mercer Organization imprisons Ari’s adopted mothers, she vows to find a way to support them escape. When she unknowingly draws Excalibur from a tree on Aged Earth, she reawakens Merlin, who is now a teenager, and ignites the cycle of Arthurian legend. She needs to gather her knights together to defeat the Mercer Company. This YA space opera is a blast to read, as is book 2, Sword in the Stars.

Find it atBookshop, Objective, Amazon, or your local library.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Jam is a Black gender non-conforming girl who lives in the utopian city of Lucille, where the angels vanquished all the monsters long ago, or so Jam and her optimal friend Redemption are taught in institution. Then one afternoon, a creature climbs out of a painting and tells Jam there’s a monster in her midst. She names him Pet, and the two must find the monster before it’s too late. This engaging and heart-wrenching study shows how sometimes the monsters are the ones that appear to be the safest.

Find it atBookshop, Target, Amazon, or your local l

The Fantasy Review’s list of 7 Epic Fantasy Books with LGBT Characters.

Magic’s Pawn (The Last Herald-Mage, #1) by Mercedes Lackey

From the blurb:

Though Vanyel has been born with near-legendary abilities to work both Herald and Mage magic, he wanted no part in such things. Nor does he seek a warrior’s path, wishing instead to become a Bard.

Yet such talent as his, if left untrained, may verify a menace not only to Vanyel but to others as well. So he is sent to be fostered with his aunt, Savil, one of the fame Herald-Mages of Valdemar.…

Luck in the Shadows (Nightrunner, #1) by Lynn Flewelling

From the blurb:

When immature Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Watcher, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing.…

Lord Mouse (Lords of Davenia, #1) by Mason Thomas

From the blurb:

Scou

JANUARYTHE DAUGHTERS OF IZDIHAR by Hadeer Elsbai:
– f/f, disaster bi
– looming war, woman’s suffrage, & water magic in a fantastical Egypt
– corrupted aristocrat + bookshop keeper??? hmm YESTHE SAPPHIRE ALTAR by David Dalglish:
– sequel to THE BLADED FAITH, which had a sapphic main
– rag-tag, older group of revolutionaries use a mask to artificial a hero & fight against the invading empire
– except the mask is cursed… and whisperingNOW SHE IS WITCH by Kirsty Logan:
– sapphic MC
– shadowy, witchy roadtrip through medieval Europe
– with a minute murder, as treat
– stories within stories within storiesI KEEP MY EXOSKELETON TO MYSELF by Marisa Crane:
– sapphic MC
– instead of jail, criminals carry extra shadows to advise others of their misdeeds
– what happens when your kid is born with an extra shadow?
– tackles grief & shame in an unjust worldTHE INFINITE by Ada Hoffmann:
– lesbian MC, show up get your neurodivergent gays
– the AI gods contain withdrawn their protection
– rebellion and revolution, but build it interst

15 Great LGBTQ+ Fantasy and Sci-fi Books Every Reader Needs: Guest Post by S. Labrecque

Media never has enough LGBTQ+ representation.

And if it does, we’re the side characters in someone else’s story.

Are you sick of this too?

Fear not! LGBTQ+ fiction does live, and I’ve compiled a list of 15 books where the queer characters are the protagonists. So if you’re looking for fantasy or sci-fi with great queer representation, spot if any of these catch your eye.

15 Wonderful LGBTQ+ Fantasy and Sci-fi Books

1) “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin

Gay/Lesbian, Bisexual, Asexual, Queer side characters

Genre: Cosmic Horror Urban Fantasy

Summary: Cities are alive. Some more literally than others. When New York City is born, it’s split between five avatars, and its primary goes missing. NYC’s weakened express leaves it open for attack from an otherworldly entity set on wiping out all living cities. The four borough avatars must learn to function together to awaken their primary. Can they conserve their city before the Enemy gains hold, or will It destroy everything they love?

2) “A Prolonged Way to a Petite and Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers

Gay/Lesbian, Transexual, Pansexual, Gender Flui